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  • Human Rights in Burma

    Burma’s human rights situation remains poor despite some noteworthy actions by the government toward reform. In April 2012, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s party swept nearly all the seats contested in a parliamentary by-election, but a large majority of seats in Burma’s lower house are controlled by the government party and the military. President Thein Sein welcomed back exiles and released nearly 400 political prisoners, but several hundred prisoners remain behind bars. While some laws have been amended, repressive laws remain. The army targeted civilians in armed conflict with the Kachin minority group. After violence erupted between Arakanese Buddhists and the long-persecuted Rohingya Muslims, state security forces took part in abuses against the Rohingya.

  • A burned-down house in Meiktila, March 21, 2013.

    © 2013 Reuters
    Burma: Satellite Images Detail Destruction in Meiktila
    The Burmese government should thoroughly investigate and hold accountable those who incited and committed deadly violence in Meiktila in central Burma from March 20 to 22, 2013, Human Rights Watch said today. Decisive government action to combat impunity, end discrimination, and promote tolerance among religious groups is needed to end the tide of attacks against Muslim communities.
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    • Burma: Promises of Reform
      Nov 23 2011 - 15:33

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    Burma Releases Political Prisoners
    Burma: War Crimes Against Convict Porters
    World Report 2013: Burma
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Burma

  • Burma: End ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ of Rohingya Muslims
    Apr 22, 2013
    Burmese authorities and members of Arakanese groups have committed crimes against humanity in a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims in Arakan State since June 2012, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today.
  • Burma: Satellite Images Detail Destruction in Meiktila
    Apr 1, 2013
    The Burmese government should thoroughly investigate and hold accountable those who incited and committed deadly violence in Meiktila in central Burma from March 20 to 22, 2013, Human Rights Watch said today. Decisive government action to combat impunity, end discrimination, and promote tolerance among religious groups is needed to end the tide of attacks against Muslim communities.
  • Burma: Rohingya Muslims Face Humanitarian Crisis
    Mar 26, 2013
    The Burmese government is systematically restricting humanitarian aid and imposing discriminatory policies on Rohingya Muslims in Arakan State.
  • Thailand: Fleeing Rohingya Shot in Sea by Navy
    Mar 13, 2013
    Sailors from Thailand’s navy shot at ethnic Rohingya “boat people,” causing at least two deaths, Human Rights Watch said today. The Thai government should immediately investigate the incident, and direct the navy to abide by international standards on the use of force.
  • UN Human Rights Council: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar
    Mar 11, 2013
  • Human Rights Council: Maintain Scrutiny of Burma
    Mar 11, 2013
    The United Nations Human Rights Council should retain its current level of scrutiny of Burma’s still poor human rights situation.
  • EU: Press Burma’s President on Rights Reforms
    Mar 4, 2013
    European Union leaders should press Burmese President Thein Sein on adopting key rights reforms during his visit this week to Brussels.
  • Why it’s too soon to ease pressure on Myanmar
    Mar 4, 2013
    Myanmar President Thein Sein has been touring Europe touting his country’s unlikely transformation in the past two years from the archetype of authoritarian repression to a supposedly shining example of peaceful transition towards democracy. But how much of this is real reform and how much is window dressing? How much have human rights genuinely improved on the ground in Myanmar?
  • Testimony of Tom Malinowski
    Feb 28, 2013

    I was in Burma for a week in January, my second visit in the last year. I am still amazed by how much has changed since the start of reforms in 2011. The political opposition has gone from prison to a place in parliament. Daily newspapers are publishing real news and honest criticism of the government. Activists who just two years ago were serving life sentences for sending emails or telling jokes are now sitting across the table from government ministers, discussing how to identify and release the last remaining political detainees in the country.

  • Burma: Rights Abuses Endanger Reform
    Feb 1, 2013
    Burma’s human rights situation remained poor in 2012, despite some noteworthy actions by the government to adopt rights-respecting reforms, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2013 released today.
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